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PLAYLIST: THE GREAT ESCAPE
The 2013 edition of The Great Escape is about to kick off. Of course, it's the CMU-programmed convention that has been occupying our minds of late, but we couldn't help having a peak at what the festival team were up to. As ever, they've filled the programme of live music with over 300 exciting new bands. CMU's Andy Malt and Aly Barchi have taken a look through the festival programme and picked out ten acts they're particularly excited about seeing. If you haven't yet, add these to your diary. And check out some of their music right away with our playlist more>>

APPROVED: SOLANGE FEAT KENDRICK LAMAR - LOOKS GOOD WITH TROUBLE
So Solange is back. Back, that is, to bossing the Approved slot (again), if only because she's gone and signed to Columbia Records, releasing a new Kendrick Lamar and extra 'S'-featuring remake of her 'True' EP skit 'Look Good With Trouble - a 'collab' with Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange - as if to prove why. In ‘Looks Good With Trouble’ mark II, Solange’s luxuriant, skin-warm vocal lolls all over Hynes’ ‘vibey’ arcade game-style backbeat, playing on the same hot-cool, rich v bare, real v artificial contrast more>>

- Alex James to watch clips of Never Mind The Buzzcocks and then say things about them

DHP GROUP - PROMOTER/VENUE PROGRAMMER
We are looking for a promoter based in Nottingham, who'll have specific responsibility for programming one of our award winning venues, as well as significant roles in our Dot To Dot festival and other activities. This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, creative, knowledgeable and hardworking individual to join one of the UK's fastest growing national promoters and venue operators, with ever expanding career possibilities.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

CODA - RECEPTIONIST
CODA requires a full time receptionist for immediate start within our busy and successful artist music agency based near Farringdon, London. We're looking for someone with excellent communication skills, friendly and motivated who is able to multi-task. We need a "can do" attitude. This is an excellent first step in to the live music industry.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

PARTISAN RECORDS - PRODUCT MANAGER
Partisan Records, part of Knitting Factory Group, is looking for a dynamic and forward thinking Product Manager to join the recently established UK office. The successful candidate will have at least two years product management experience and will be experienced in implementing multiple artist campaigns across traditional and digital marketing platforms.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

KILIMANJARO - EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO CEO
Kilimanjaro are concert promoters working on over 400 shows per year from small halls to green field festivals. This role is providing full support to the CEO and requires someone who is highly efficient, motivated, unflappable and very hard working.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

ELITE MUSIC MANAGEMENT - ADMIN/PA TO DIRECTOR
Since 1999, Brighton-based Elite Music Management has represented breakthrough and established DJs, producers and label parties. We are looking for a hard working, exceptionally organised individual to work as part of a small, hard-working team. You will be required to assist the Director with bookings, and the efficient day to day running of the office. You will liaise with artists, managers and promoters on a daily basis.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

CHERRY RED RECORDS - ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Cherry Red Records requires a full-time administrative assistant for immediate start in our West London office. Playing a key support role across several areas of the business the ideal candidate will be someone with a good working knowledge of, and interest in, catalogue music across several genres, self-motivated, with a keen attention to detail.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

SRD - NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER
Working closely with label managers and reporting to the Managing Director this is an ideal position for someone with experience of dealing with key online and physical accounts as well as taking the initiative in building relationships with new customers.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

LISTEN UP - ONLINE AND PRINT PRESS OFFICER
London-based music promotions company Listen Up is recruiting for an experienced online and print press officer to join the expanding company. The ideal candidate should have at least three years experience in a similar role with a thorough knowledge of online and print portals across music, culture and lifestyle.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

MASCOT LABEL GROUP - LABEL/MARKETING MANAGER
Mascot Label Group, is looking for a dynamic and experienced UK label/marketing manager. Do you have solid experience in label management, marketing, retail, digital, and promotion and are you looking for a new challenge? Ambitious, hands on, creative, efficient, organised, hungry for success and an affinity with hard rock, metal and blues rock genres in particular is what we are looking for.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

7DIGITAL - CONTENT OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
We are looking for an experienced Content Operations Director to join our ever expanding team here at 7digital. The successful candidate will have experience working in and managing a digital supply chain function, preferably in music, for a digital retailer, label or content aggregator. You will be passionate about content and you must be able to work in a fast-paced and fast-growing environment.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

DHP GROUP - HEAD OF FESTIVALS
We are looking for a dynamic individual who will be responsible for delivering music festivals for DHP. The Head Of Festivals will: develop the proposition for new outdoor events in different genres; source suitable locations; develop a model for ticket pricing and suitable artist budgets; work with the promoter team on programming; develop non-music areas of the festivals; take over the management of the existing 20,000 capacity event, Splendour; oversee the city based events, Dot To Dot, Hit The Deck and Gathering.

For more information including a full job description and how to apply click here.

DESK SPACE AVAILABLE IN HOXTON
We organise indoor and outdoor music & arts events and have two desks available for rent in our friendly and comfortable office. It's a great creative space located in Hoxton for anyone working in the creative industries (ie graphic designers, journalists, digital, marketing). Just five mins from Hoxton Station. The building is very secure and has 24 hour access. Rent is £250 a month plus VAT per desk which is inclusive of all bills and wi-fi.

GOOGLE STREAMING SERVICE IMMINENT
Sony and Universal are on board, they've lined up, they've put on special hats and are already in a party mood, for the long-expected, much-anticipated, sure-to-be-an-anti-climax launch of the Google streaming music service. Which, as I'm sure many of my fellow journalists will be keen to point out, is almost certainly (not) a Spotify-killer. The launch is imminent it seems. Which presumably means at the Google developer conference that kicks off later today.

Google, Apple and Amazon are all rumoured to have streaming music services of one kind or another in development as they move to expand or retain their share of the digital music market. While start up streaming services (and long term players like Rhapsody and Pandora) have started to gain momentum in terms of user-base in recent years, the three big web giants have in the main stuck with their respective download platforms, gluing digital locker services on the side, none of which really lived up to the hype. But all seem to have now decided streaming is where the future lies.

The problem with streaming services, over conventional download stores, is that they generally put a lot more financial risk on the service provider in terms of royalty guarantees. And Google, Apple and Amazon don't like risk. Though, while they've been negotiating hard with the major content owners to secure better deals than those enjoyed by the start ups, insiders say the labels haven't budged all that much. Presumably the big three hope they can scale up fast enough in terms of subscribers and/or advertising revenue to reduce the risk.

Warner - usually one of the last rights owners on board for these things - was seemingly first to sign up to the Google streaming service. Deals with Sony and Universal are now also reportedly in the bag, which is seemingly enough to launch. It's not clear what the deal with the indies is just yet. The service, which will be more of the Spotify fully-on-demand variety, will operate as part of the Google Play platform, presumably with a groovy Android app.

Google's previous plays in the music space, most recently via Google Play, have been somewhat lacklustre despite being much hyped at launch. And while the big fat exception to that is YouTube, the biggest streaming music service on the internet, Google technically bought that one in rather than launch it from scratch. Whether Googify is the original music service that breaks that record remains to be seen.

ALICE IN CHAINS SUED BY MOTHER OF FORMER FRONTMAN
Alice In Chains are being sued by the mother of their late frontman, Layne Stayley. Nancy McCallum claims that the surviving members of the band are withholding money she is due on revenues earned outside of Stayley's songwriting royalties.

According to Seattle PI, McCallum has filed a lawsuit saying that the band are now also trying to cut her out of future payments. She says that she was contacted by the band's lawyer last September and informed that a revenue sharing agreement that had been in place since her son's death was being dissolved.

But lawyers for the band counter that she has already been paid more than was ever due - an accountant apparently working out that Stayley's share of revenues stands at $341,000, while she has so far received $705,000. They also added that she has attempted to trademark the Alice In Chains name. Stayley's estate, the band's lawyers say, will continue to receive royalties from songs which he wrote.

"EXHAUSTED" BEYONCE CANCELS ARENA SHOW
Amid super-speculative chit chat that she might be 'with child' again, Beyonce - uncharacteristically, it has to be said - cancelled a show in Belgium yesterday because of "dehydration and exhaustion". And, maybe, a baby.

In an email to the Associated Press, the R&B star's press rep said she'd been advised to take a break from playing live, and is "awaiting word from doctors" as regards another planned performance at Antwerp's Sportpaleis arena tonight.

PIRATE BAY FOUNDER WANTS TO STAND IN EUROPEAN ELECTIONS
The most high profile of The Pirate Bay's founders, Peter Sunde, formerly the official spokesperson for the controversial file-sharing website, hopes to stand in next year's European Parliament elections, running for the Finnish Pirate Party.

It is in the European elections where The Pirate Party has generally enjoyed the most success, especially in Sweden, the home of The Pirate Bay, which isn't officially allied with the political movement, but is routinely linked with it. Though Sunde, who seemingly has joint Swedish and Finnish nationality, will seek to stand for the pirates in Finland.

Though, of course, Sunde still faces the prospect of being jailed in relation to his conviction for copyright infringement that stemmed from his time co-running TPB. Although he has in theory exhausted all routes of appeal against that conviction through the Swedish courts, neither Sunde nor his fellow Bay-founder Fredrik Neij have done any prison time as yet.

EFTERKLANG TO RELEASE LIVE PIRAMIDA LP
Efterklang will release a live taping of one of their 'Piramida' recitals, so named after their fourth LP.

The chosen concert, aptly the one the band played in their native Copenhagen last October, also features the city's 33-man Philharmonic orchestra, plus Peter Broderick, classical singer Katinka Fogh Vindelev, one-time Siouxsie And The Banshees drummer Peter 'Budgie' Clarke and, last but not least, conductor André de Ridder.

SKY FERREIRA PLAYING LONDON SHOW
As she's prone to do, nonchalant pop enfant and BFF-to-the-stars Sky Ferreira has set a 'rare' and 'unmissable' live date - in London, naturally - at The Scala on 26 Jun.

Tickets are most likely all gone now, but anyway, here's a link to buy the last remaining pair (if it's even available, which it most likely isn't). Yeah!

JOHNNY FLYNN ADDS SOLO, BAND DATES
Blushing folk artiste Johnny Flynn, who's favoured acting over other 'artistic modes' of late, has shocked the world to its core by confirming his first live shows since 2011.

He'll be playing solo on the following dates, afterwards appearing with his band, The Sussex Wit, at Mumford & Son's Gentlemen Of The Road Takeover in Lewes (20 Jul) and this year's Larmer Tree and Green Man festivals.

FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE: LATITUDE, END OF THE ROAD THE BIG MIX AND MORE
So here we are again; examining, analysing and generally taking a look at today's festival line-up updates. 'But what are they, like, specifically?', you may well ask. And since you did ask nicely, I'll start today's FLUU intro at this year's Latitude, whose new-signed acts - the great Bobby Womack, DIIV, Deptford Goth, Wolf Alice, Rero Stefson and MØ, to name six - add extra decoration to an attractive billing headlined by Kraftwerk, Foals, and Bloc Party.

Another lot of FLUUs I'm bent on emphasising is the one just revealed over at this year's Belle And Sebastian, Sigur Rós and David Byrne & St Vincent-featuring End Of The Road; the same one that names The Walkmen, El Perro Del Mar, Anna Von Hausswolff, Braids and Jessica Pratt.

And what of the initial listings revelation at London's Macmillan-backing charity fundraiser The Big Mix? Well, it's fairly great in the grand scheme of these things, and stars Slow Club, Nadine Shah, O Children and Lady Lamb The Beekeper.

LINE-UP ANNOUNCED FOR GREAT ESCAPE DIGITAL PITCH PARTY
The Great Escape kicks off in Brighton tomorrow morning at 10.30am with a packed day of panels, debates, networking, parties and showcases. And in the Old Courtroom venue the focus will be on data and discovery, with a strand of sessions dedicated to music discovery in the digital space and the opportunities ever more sophisticated data offers artists, labels and promoters.

The Focus On Data & Discovery will conclude with the return of the Digital Pitch Party, a popular strand at last year's TGE. Digitally-focused delegates will relocate to Brighton pub Mesmerist, where legal firm Simons, Muirhead & Burton will be buying the drinks, and representatives from a number of great music start-ups will deliver a quick elevator pitch outlining what their business does. Those pitching include MPme, Tourmanagement.com, Bandwagon, Songdrop, Richseam and Concert Live.

CMU Insight's Sam Taylor, who has selected the pitchers, told CMU: "There has been no shortage of music-focused digital start-ups appearing on the scene in the last year, but some stand-out in particular, and those are the companies who will be pitching at our Digital Pitch Party this year. All our pitchers are interested in extended their contacts and relationships within the wider music community, and this is a great opportunity for those partnerships to begin".

The Digital Pitch Party is open to all TGE delegates at Mesmerist from 4.30pm tomorrow, Thursday 16 May.

EE ANNOUNCES GLASTONBURY PARTNERSHIP
Let's all say it one more time: "Everything Everything are the nifty band, Everything Everywhere is the naughty phone network". It's weirdly easy to get confused.

Anyway, Everything Everywhere has been confirmed as the official mobile sponsor, or "official technology and communications partner" if you prefer, of the Glastonbury Festival. It sort of takes over from long time Glasto brand partner Orange, EE being, of course, the 4G business of the same company that operates the Orange brand (which, it seems, will eventually be phased out, it turning out that the future isn't all that orange after all).

EE will work on a number of initiatives at Glastonbury as part of its partnership, including an official app and a battery recharge area.

Confirming the partnership, EE Brand Director Spencer McHugh told CMU: "As the UK's biggest and only superfast 4G network, we're uniquely placed to use our technological expertise to help make the Glastonbury experience even better for those on site; from producing the feature packed official app for the festival, providing hundreds of charging points on site in our Recharge tents, through to ensuring festival goers can upload and share all their festival photos and videos to social networking sites at superfast speeds".

BRONFMAN DEPARTS WARNER BOARD
Confirming that the Edgar Bronfman Jr era at Warner Music is now long gone, the former CEO of the mini-major, who led the consortium that bought the music firm from Time Warner in 2004, has left the company's board.

Bronfman quickly stepped back from having an active role in the running of Warner after its acquisition by Access Industries, though stuck around in the boardroom, mainly to spearhead the company's opposition to Universal Music's acquisition of the EMI record company.

It's thought he also played a significant role in Warner's subsequent purchase of the Parlophone Label Group - the EMI division that Universal was forced to sell by competition regulators - and it's possible that it is the near completion of that deal that had resulted in him stepping away from the company at this time.

Current Warner CEO Stephen Cooper said of Bronfman during an earnings call yesterday: "His contributions to this company and the music industry as a whole have been enormous. Warner Music Group would not be the dynamic, pioneering force we are today without his tireless commitment to the company, its employees and its artists".

Elsewhere in that earnings call, Cooper revealed that Warner saw revenues rise by 8% year on year in the quarter to 31 Jan to $675 million, while operating income was up 159% to $57 million and net income moved into profit, to $2 million, from a loss in the same quarter a year earlier.

UNIVERSAL SEES REVENUES RISE IN FIRST QUARTER
Revenues at Universal owner Vivendi were stable in the first quarter of its current financial year, though net income slipped by 18.5%, from 825 million euros to 672 million.

Unsurprisingly, it was the entertainment and communication group's mobile business that caused most of that slide, it having been struggling for a while. Universal Music, in contrast, saw its revenues rise 13.5% year on year in the first quarter, to 1,091 million euros. Better than expected income from the mega-major's newly acquired EMI units contributed to that upturn.

In terms of the digital to physical shift, digital products generated 54% of Universal's recorded music revenue in the period, compared to 46% in the first quarter of 2012.

INVESTOR CALLS ON SONY TO SELL OFF ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS
The CEO of hedge fund Third Point, Daniel Lobe, has called on Sony Corp to sell off a slice of its entertainment business in a bid to boost profits, according to the New York Times. The US-based Sony entertainment group includes the Sony Music record company and the firm's half of the Sony/ATV music publishing business.

Third Point has acquired a 6.5% stake in Sony Corp, making it one of the largest shareholders in the company. Weilding this new power, Loeb travelled to Tokyo at the weekend for meeting with the company's execs, reportedly praising them for Sony Corp's recent return to profit, but pushing for more to be done to maintain this trend and to revive its core electronics business.

According to the NYT, Loeb proposed that 15-20% of the entertainment business be sold to existing shareholders. He also said that Third Point would offer $2 billion to support such a move.

In a statement, Sony spokesperson Shiro Kambe said: "We are focused on creating shareholder value by executing on our plan to revitalise and grow the electronics business, while further strengthening the stable business foundations of the entertainment and financial services businesses. We look forward to continuing constructive dialogue with our shareholders as we pursue our strategy".

ANOTEHR A&R APPOINTMENT AT IMAGEM
The UK unit of independent publisher Imagem has announced the appointment of Sam Mumford to the position of A&R Manager. Mumford previously ran his own indie label Dirty Boots, before joining Sony Music in an A&R role in 2010. He also has a regular A&R slot on Xfm.

Mumford himself added: "I've worked with Imagem previously and I've always admired how progressive they are as a publisher. To be led by Kim and work alongside her team is going to be great new chapter for me".

NEW RECORD LABEL POP UNLTD OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES
Artist manager Jen Anderson and A&R consultant Jessica Pinkett (also a recent CMU guest columnist) have announced the official launch of their new record label, POP unLTD. The company's first release will be a single from Giant Fang, followed in July by two more singles from DENA and Kirby Kaiser.

Anderson told CMU: "We both have a severe love of pop music and want to release the best of the best from across the world. We have spent a long time picking our first releases and we are really happy we have managed to get Giant Fang, DENA and Kirby onboard. We're really looking forward to everyone hearing the tracks and artists that we love".

Pinkett added: "For me, POP unLTD is another way to support exciting new talent and spread the word about the brilliance of pop music! I'm looking forward to sharing some of our great discoveries with the first releases on the label this summer".

ALEX JAMES TO WATCH CLIPS OF NEVER MIND THE BUZZCOCKS AND THEN SAY THINGS ABOUT THEM
Everyone's favourite cheese maker (unless you happen to know the name of more than one cheese maker, I suppose) Alex James is to front a new spin off show from 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks'. Called 'What A Load Of Buzzcocks', the show will see the Blur bassist looking at old clips of the main show and then saying things about them.

Says James: "I've always been a big fan of ['Never Mind The Buzzcocks'] and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the highlights from the past seventeen years".

Executive producer Dan Baldwin added: "The 'What A Load Of Buzzcocks' comedy narrative will provide the perfect retrospective look at our ever changing world through the eyes of Britain's funniest music quiz. This world of popular culture will be reflected, prodded and poked within classic archive from the show, telling its own story of major events that matter most to the viewer... like Take That splitting up... Michael Jackson marrying Lisa Marie Presley... and Mr Blobby getting to number one. It promises to be bloody funny".

It promises to be bloody funny, but it also promises to have bloody Alex James in it. Maybe it will break one of those promises.

CMU Editor Andy Malt and CMU Business Editor Chris Cooke are both available to comment on music and music business stories. Together they have provided comment and contributions to BBC News, BBC World, BBC Radios 4, 5, 6music and Scotland, Sky News, CNN, Wired and the Associated Press. Email andy@unlimitedmedia.co.uk or chris@unlimitedmedia.co.uk.

UnLimited Media also provides creative, training and consulting services for the music, media and communication industries. More at www.unlimitedmedia.co.uk.